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A Hatton-Brown Publication HATTON-BROWN PUBLISHERS, INC. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525 Publisher David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan
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Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell Managing Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Senior Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Patrick Dunning
Vol. 70, No. 2: Issue 691
OurCover Trucking safety and efficiency are key to successful logging as contractors adapt to new trucking technology. Learn more beginning on PAGE 8. (David Abbott photo; design by Shelley Smith)
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TH Newslines Reports Oregon Forest Act Changes
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12 Harrison Upgrades Trucks Adding Scales, Dash Cams
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane 334-699-7837 bdevane7@hotmail.com Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations (ISSN 2154-2333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/ December issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries—TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timber harvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Harvesting & Forest Operations. Copyright ® 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.
18 Oregon Logging Conference Finding Future Workers Now
22 Transportation Technology Haul Efficient, Weigh Accurate
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MyTake DAN SHELL
Oregon Loggers Working To Find, Develop New Employees Building new labor resources EUGENE, Ore. Student CTL hroughout three days of competition using the Oregon Logging Deere simulators Conference (OLC), the during OLC career effort to reach young people day event and find new employees from all walks of life was a focus of the show. Of course, everyone loves to prop the little kids in an operator’s cab, but the OLC has refined their show’s outreach to focus primarily on high-school aged students who are soon to be making decisions on work and career choices. More than 900 local and regional high schoolers were registered to visit the OLC, which included presentations tailored to school groups about job opportunities. Students were able to talk with forest industry professionals working in forestry, reforestation, logging, gers assembled for the keynote that the trucking, engine mechanics and weldfour legs of support for developing ing, machine operators and more— high school forestry interest are: 1— with almost all currently looking for having a state-approved curriculum; new employees. 2—having administrative support at Known as “Future Forestry Workers the school; 3—finding the right Career Day,” the event this year inteacher (and it’s not always the guy cluded a cut-to-length simulator comwith the flannel shirts); and 4—buildpetition sponsored by Oregon State ing local and industry support for the University’s College of Forestry using program. John Deere simulators. Ponsse also Manley noted all communities are had a simulator at its booth that was a different and may choose to emphahit with students. size various segments of forestry, State educators also have a big role “But you all have the potential to to play, according to OLC keynote have these programs in your speaker Blake Manley, a former logschools,” he emphasized. “If you ger and forestry and natural resources want to know how, find me.” teacher at Sweet Home High Associated Oregon Loggers is also School—and also Chair of the Oreworking to find new employees for gon Natural Resources Educators its members and help them keep the Assn. He’s a relentless forestry career ones they have. Recently hired AOL promoter. Workforce Development Manager One thing Oregon does have going Sara Nelson notes in an AOL Mainfor it is a state-approved high school line newsletter article that on a recent forestry curriculum that’s currently survey an aging workforce, lack of being offered by 35 school systems in forest career promotion and demand the state. Manley told hundreds of logfor higher wages were major labor is-
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sues for AOL members. Changing the forest industry narrative to make it more enticing to young people is a major goal, she says. Also, surveys show AOL members rely heavily on word of mouth when looking for employees. Industry may be able to do better by getting its message consistently in front of groups that are actively seeking jobs. AOL has also printed out some nifty forest career “playing cards” to hand out to interested individuals, with a QR code that links to the AOL web site.
Forest Accord Oregon’s Private Forest Accord (see Newslines) seeks to move beyond attempting to manage forests by expensive and potentially calamitous ballot initiative campaigns, but it also moves the state into a brave new world of enhanced riparian zone and stream protection in return for certainty of future harvests. As with any such far-reaching effort hammered into legislation, the devil is in the details. Associated Oregon Loggers formally voted to support the accord that was negotiated by major landowners and industry interests with state and environmental interests during the past two years. But loggers at the OLC are in waiting mode for the accord’s ultimate impact. One logger noted his family’s timber holdings would qualify for mitigation funding under the accord. He’s happy to hear he’ll be compensated but he’s definitely reserving final judgement until the details are ironed out. Another logger said he hoped the stream-side protections would be results-based instead of prescriptive based where protection guidelines would be adequate and work as intended but not consist of blindly followed mandates. Others noted that major landowners going forward will likely reduce private forest timber rotations, with more loggers having to handle more small TH logs in the future. TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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NewsLines
Oregon Loggers Approve State ‘Private Forest Accord’ The first week of the new year, the Associated Oregon Loggers’ (AOL) board voted to accept the principles and terms developed by signatories of the state’s Private Forest Accord (PFA), which provides a process to make fundamental changes to the state’s Forest Practices Act. AOL’s action comes after more than two years of negotiations following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperatively pursue updates to Oregon’s forest laws signed in January 2020, by conservation groups and a delegation of timberland owners. The MOU came about after prodding by state leaders that those on both sides of forest and resource issues
“Oregon’s forest industry will reap the benefit of future business investment certainty.”
—Rex Storm Associated Oregon Loggers
spraying practices and also facilitated a mediated process to explore changes to Oregon’s Forest Practices Act that would form the basis of an application to the federal services for an aquatic species Habitat Conservation Plan. (The legislation is loosely modeled after Washington’s successful 2006 “Forests & Fish” legislation.) According to AOL Executive Vice
Expanded stream protection is balanced by mitigation funds.
tion payments to fund projects that contribute additional ecological lift beyond the extensive investment in additional buffers. The forest products industry will pay $5 million per year for mitigation, the State $10 million. According to Storm, it’s important to note there are real costs associated with implementation of the PFA and a key piece of the negotiation was carveout provisions for small landowners that include, but are not limited to, funds to help with roading costs, different options for riparian buffers with financial incentives for utilizing the most restrictive buffers, and more. The forest industry will also contribute extra economic value to future ecosystem services through a slight increase to the Forest Products Harvest Tax—a contribution that AOL and forest sector communicators will leverage in future policymaking and media, Storm says. The longtime Oregon logging association veteran admits that approval is “a knotty determination, yet one with more advantages than downsides. In total, the forest industry will reap the benefit of future business investment certainty,” he says. Storm adds that AOL’s policy team is fully engaged with forest partner organizations to assure that forest contractors and the small business community unify with landowners to the most positive forest regulation outcomes.
New China Log Requirements
have more to gain by working together than continuing to file and promote controversial legislation and increasingly expensive ballot initiative campaigns and court cases. The MOU was signed by a larger group of major state landowners and forest industry companies and interests, including Lone Rock Resources, Starker Forests, Roseburg Forest Products, Campbell Global, Hampton Lumber, Seneca Sawmills, Weyerhaeuser and others. As part of the agreement, AOL gets to name one member of a key advisory board. Later in 2020 the state passed legislation that provided changes to aerial 6
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President Rex Storm, the action to approve the PFA gives AOL a seat at the table and makes it a proactive player in the PFA process. Changes include new stream buffers as much as twice as wide as current regulations and new standards on road design, inventory/assessment, maintenance, and management and culvert replacement prioritization. The PFA also provides an Adaptive Management framework to provide science-based recommendations to assist the Board of Forestry in determining if and when it is necessary to adjust regulations to achieve resource goals and objectives. The PFA includes mitiga-
On December 20, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) released Decree 110. The Decree, entitled Quarantine Requirements on Pine Wood Imported from Countries with Occurrence of Pine Wood Nematodes is believed to generate more cost and probably new challenges to the U.S. export of logs and lumber to China. The Decree updates requirements for importing softwoods, including guidelines for sampling and treatment prior to export, phytosanitary certificate requirements, port of entry quarantine requirements, and designated ports for receiving pinewood imports. The requirements went into effect on February 1. All U.S. softwood logs and lumber will need to comply prior to being allowed entry into China. TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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NewsLines Texas Log Theft Suspects Indicted Three suspects were recently indicted in Liberty County, Texas for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, a second degree felony, accused of conspiring together to steal $102,776 of timber revenue through their employer, Alvin Laird Logging. The indictment follows a two-year investigation that determined the defendants, all drivers for Alvin Laird Logging, were selling timber harvested from Laird’s logging sites, to a mill under a third-party contract then obtaining the revenues in cash without the consent of Laird or the landowners. There were numerous victims identified in the investigation as the logging contractor was a sub-contractor under another company and working for several landowners. The three suspects could face from two to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $10,000 if convicted.
LOTS Group Acquires SC’s Bellwether FP Integrated transport company LOTS Group has acquired Bellwether Forest Products based in Camden, SC. Bellwether is a full-service timber transport company working throughout the state, with the aim of inspiring a new generation of loggers and building long-term partnerships with wood markets and timberland owners. The acquisition will enable the company to extend its service offering to new and existing clients, leveraging Bellwether’s extensive experience in the region. Officials with both companies say the transaction reflects the future of forest products transportation in the Southeast, which has a huge but highly fragmented market served primarily by trucking capacity that lacks technology and professionalization. The LOTS Group is offering a model that improves efficiency, says Max Blatt, CEO.
Alabama Pursues New Truck Weight Limits In response to trucking capacity issues that include labor concerns and lack of qualified young drivers, the Alabama Forestry Assn. (AFA) is pro-
moting legislation to increase weight limits for certain axle configurations and for rigs that are weighed when they’re loaded with either on-board scales or in-woods systems. The Rural Logging Support Act would increase weight limits for qualified trucks with a gross vehicle weight increase from 80,000 lbs. to 84,000 lbs. for 5-axle trucks and 84,000 lbs. to 90,000 lbs. for 6-axle trucks. The legislation provides single axle weight increase from 20,000 lbs. to 23,000 lbs. and tandem axle weight increase from 36,000 lbs. to 46,000 lbs. A long-established 10% weight enforcement tolerance applies to increased weight limits. To qualify for higher limits, trucks must be weighed when loaded using on-board scales or in-woods platform scales. The legislation also sets up a system of grants to non-profit groups that would pay for scale installation. The AFA notes the legislation would result as many as 185,000 fewer truckloads of logs on Alabama roads each year.
It’s Pellets Galore For Market Leader Enviva Enviva, already the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, is accelerating its plans to double its production capacity over the next five years, from 6.2 million metric tons per year (MMTY) to 13 million. Enviva plans to continue utilizing its “build and copy” approach to plant design while increasing the nameplate production capacity of its new plants to 1.1 million, up 45% from the previous standard of 750,000. Meanwhile Enviva expects its plant in Lucedale, Miss. to ramp production throughout 2022, exiting the year at its designed run-rate of 750,000. Additionally, in the first half of 2022, Enviva plans to commence construction of the fully contracted plant in Epes, Ala., the second plant in the company’s “Pascagoula Cluster.” Enviva plans to accelerate the construction of a third wood pellet production plant in its Pascagoula cluster in 2023, along with other proposed plants in the Savannah and mid-Atlantic regions. Additionally, Enviva plans to commence and complete a 300,000 MTPY expansion of its Lucedale plant during 2023. In 2024, Enviva plans to place both
the proposed third and fourth Pascagoula cluster plants in service and begin construction on two additional plants expected to be located near Savannah, Ga. and Wilmington, NC. In 2025, Enviva expects all of its Pascagoula cluster plants will be operating at their full run-rate, in addition to having the new Savannah cluster plant in service. In 2026, Enviva expects to have both proposed Wilmington and Chesapeake plants in service, with the proposed Savannah plant and Lucedale expansion ramping to full run-rate by the end of the year.
GP Plans Expansion, Output Hike At OSB Mill Georgia-Pacific announced a planned $20 million addition to its oriented strandboard (OSB) facility in Alcolu, SC. The project will add a third strander, which will increase annual output by 150MMSF. Construction on the project is slated to begin in April, and the new addition is scheduled to come on-line in the first quarter of 2023. “The multi-million-dollar improvement project will be a plus for the local economy,” Konieczka says. “Approximately 100 contractors are expected during the construction phase. Once the new strander is on-line there will be an increase in log trucks arriving and trucks departing with finished goods.”
Huber Still Focused On New Minnesota OSB Mill Huber Engineered Woods LLC (HEW) announced its submission of a revised Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) to the city of Cohasset, Minn. for review. HEW plans to build a $440 million OSB plant on nearly 200 acres adjacent Minnesota Power’s Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset. The project is expected to create 150 direct jobs with additional job and growth opportunities in adjacent industries like timber and trucking. The EAW also provides more detail on the project’s carbon footprint, especially generating much of the facility’s energy needs through wood fuels, and the carbon sequestration effects of the finished wood products. Construction on the project is expected to begin later this year.
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Focus On: Trucking
Dash Cams Improve Performance, Safety Also, due diligence with contractors is critical. BRYANGraham
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ashcam monitoring studies are owners of companies in Idaho and potentially save your company the consistently proving that the Montana. Some have concerns about next time you’re in an accident bedevices are improving driving how that data is used, where it’s cause it can provide an indisputable behaviors and reducing accidents on stored, or just a general uncomfortpiece of evidence in your favor. We commercial vehicles across the counableness about being “tracked,” but work in an industry where typically try. Several insurance companies have there are many different options when speaking the log truck driver is conbeen implementing their own pilot it comes to what kind of dashcam you sidered responsible for the accident programs testing out the performance can purchase. Some record informaunless they can prove that they were of commercial auto fleets before and tion and store it in a cloud-based sysinnocent, and these cameras could after utilizing dashcam technology, tem, others just save it on an internal very well do exactly that. and some of the results are very imsim card that is only accessible by the pressive. driver, some watch drivers and alert Take ‘Reasonable Care’ One insurer conducted their study them if their eyes shift off the road for over a four-year period and found the Your company could be brought too long, and others can show the emfollowing results: into a lawsuit if you didn’t demonployer exactly where their vehicles are ● 98% decrease in hard strate “reasonable care” while braking events hiring subcontractors to work for ● 97% decrease in hard you. There is currently a lawsuit acceleration involving a large grocery store ● 69% decrease in speeding chain and a subcontract trucking ● 89% decrease in speeding in company that they hired to haul excess of 15 MPH over the limit their products. At the beginning of their study The sub was responsible for the company had a 107% loss an accident which resulted in ratio on their commercial auto the deaths of three people in line of business, which is considBoise, Id. There is of course a ered unprofitable by any insurer. lawsuit against the trucking These types of results are consiscompany for the incident, but tent across the country as loss rathe grocery store was also tios continue to increase due to brought into the suit claiming more frequent and severe auto that they failed to show reasonclaims, which is resulting in conable care when they decided to sistent and substantial rate inhire the trucking company. Dash cams accurately record events—and improve driver behavior. creases to your policies each One major issue that was year. After three years of rolling pointed out in the lawsuit is that out their mandatory dashcam program, the trucking company had a driver out located, how fast they are driving, how the commercial auto loss ratios for this of service rate of 37.5%, according to long a truck has been stopped and company dropped to 91% and they the FMCSA. The national average many other factors. were projecting that the following year score is 5.68%. My point being is that there are it would be down to approximately You are responsible for the actions many different options when it comes 80% nationwide. of your subcontractors. If you ever to dashcam or monitoring technology Another study conducted by Lytx and all of which appear to be benefiwant to check into the SAFER scores from November 2018 through 2019 of the trucking companies you are hircial when it comes to driver behaviors saw a 25% reduction in drowsy driving to work for you, please visit: and accidents. If you don’t like the ing, 24% reduction in late response https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/Company idea of tracking your vehicles every TH times and 16% decrease in collisions Snapshot.aspx move or having information stored on on vehicles that had driver facing your trucks in the cloud, you could Bryan Graham, CIC, CRA, is Forest dashcams installed. opt to just purchase a camera where Products Director for Associated InsurWe do hear reservations about inthe information never leaves the ance Services in Boise, Id. A version of stalling dashcams or vehicle monitortruck, and these typically cost $100this article ran in the Idaho Logger newsing systems in log trucks from the $150. This minimal investment could letter. Visit associatedins.com 8
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Truck Driver Dies After Treelength Load Crushes Cab During Rollover EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of trucking-focused Safety Alerts from TeamSafe Trucking and the Forest Resources Assn.
Background: A log truck driver was traveling on a paved road in the Southeastern U.S., hauling a load of treelength pine pulpwood to a local paper mill. It was their second load that morning. Weather conditions were mostly cloudy, with a temperature of 55° F. A light rain occurred earlier in the day. Weather was not believed to be a cause for the accident; although, it could have potentially contributed to the rollover once the truck entered the ditch after leaving the road.
Personal Characteristics: The driver had almost three years of experience driving for their employer at the time of the accident and had a valid Commercial Driver’s License.
Accident: The logging business owner indicated that the driver secured the load with binding straps prior to entering the roadway. A driver-facing and forward-facing dash cam was installed in the cab. Video footage confirmed that the driver was traveling 35 mph at the time of the accident and was not wearing a seatbelt. After traveling approximately 1.5 miles from the logging deck, the dash cam footage shows the driver beginning to cough and reaching up to adjust the heat settings inside
Southern ‘Surge’ Capacity Takes Trucking, Labor Hit Due to a variety of factors, “Trucks are no longer available to surge large volumes” across the South to mills in need of chips and fiber, according to a source in the February 10 Fastmarkets RISI North American Wood Fiber & Biomass Markets report.
the cab. When the driver took their right hand off the steering wheel to reach for the temperature control settings, the truck drifted to the right and traveled off the paved road and into the ditch. There was no shoulder present on this section of the road, and there was a 3-inch drop off from the pavement to the ditch. The ditch was soft and slightly muddy from the rain that had fallen earlier in the day. As the truck left the road and entered the ditch, it overturned onto the passenger side. While overturning, the treelength pine load continued to travel forward, pushing the aluminum headache rack into the rear of the cab.
Injury: The driver was crushed between the seat and the steering wheel. A passing motorist called EMS and then stopped by the logging deck to notify the crew of an accident a short distance away. When the crew arrived at the accident scene they discovered that emergency responders were working to extract the driver. The driver was initially alert and communicating with emergency personnel. It took approxiThe quote was part of a short article noting International Paper’s 4Q 2021 fiber costs increased 5%, due to trucking and related supply chain costs as well as higher stumpage prices.
Rear Guard Inspection Rule Now In Effect Rear impact guards are now included on the list of items that must
mately 30 minutes to extract the driver from the wreckage. The driver remained conscious for about 20 minutes of the extraction period, but was unresponsive when pulled from the overturned truck. After immediately attempting CPR, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. After cleaning up the pulpwood post accident and delivering it to the mill it was determined that the load was within legal weight limits. Inspections were current for both the cab and trailer. It was also determined after the accident that the binding devices used were the hand-ratcheting type and hooked onto the trailer, not the trailer-mounted binding system designed to properly secure the load.
Unsafe Acts/Conditions: ● The driver was operating a moving vehicle while distracted. ● The driver took his eyes off the road and did not maintain two hands on the steering wheel during operation. ● The driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
Recommendations: ● Heavy-duty steel headache racks should be mounted directly onto the trailer to keep shifting loads from gaining momentum and becoming projectiles during an accident. ● Always use an appropriate load binding system designed to safely secure a load during transport.
Visit teamsafetrucking.com or forestresources.org
be examined as part of annual inspections of commercial motor vehicles. The new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule went into effect December 9 and follows a two-year rulemaking process. Industry officials had no problem adding rear guards to the inspection list, but remain opposed to efforts to add costly front and side underride guard requirements.
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Dash Cam ROI: Safety Payoff Dash cam systems offer payback in several ways.
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comprehensive, video-based fleet safety solution includes two key parts: telematics and dash cams. Together, they provide the robust data and visibility needed for effective driver coaching, safety score gamification and rewards— all of which help reduce risky driving behavior and make accidents less likely. In fact, the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NTSCE) found that when combined with driver coaching, dash cams reduced safety-related events by 52%. Other studies have shown that dual-facing dash cams—which record both the road ahead and in-cab activity— had an even larger effect: a 60% reduction in accidents and an 86% reduction in accident-related costs. About three to six months after coaching drivers with dash cam footage, most fleets will begin to see an impact on the frequency and severity of at-fault accidents. We recommend using a spreadsheet to keep track of accidents that occur before and after launching the program, and calculate
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the percent change in number of accidents and related costs. If you have an all-in-one platform like Samsara that can detect harsh events and speeding, you should also compare the number of safety-related events and hours over the speed limit month-over-month, since these are both important indicators of risky driving behavior.
Cameras Record Facts Without concrete evidence to defend drivers, fleets spend millions of dollars each year paying insurance claims and fighting long legal battles. With dash cams that auto-upload incident footage
to the cloud, you can exonerate drivers on the spot, bypass lengthy claims processes and eliminate unnecessary payouts. In fact, in a recent survey of Samsara customers, more than 50% said they have used Samsara dash cam footage to exonerate drivers in the past year, many in the $5,000$25,000 range, with some saving over $100,000 a year. Exoneration is where fleets usually see the most immediate impact, since many fleets exonerate a driver with dash cam footage within a few months of deployment— if not during their trial period. As soon as dash cams are fully deployed, we recommend keeping a spreadsheet of every documented instance where dash cam footage exonerated a driver. Estimate how much it would have cost to resolve the incident without the footage, and keep a running tab of estimated savings.
Safety Payoff Dash cams are a key component of any successful safety program. But the data they provide isn’t just helpful
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for coaching drivers and reducing accidents—it’s helpful for reducing insurance-related costs, too. First, in the case of an accident, dash cam footage enables insurance companies to accurately and quickly determine fault, which makes settling disputes faster and less expensive. Second, some insurance providers offer a premium discount, credit or subsidy for installing dash cams and sharing safe driving data, since dash cams can mitigate the risk of insuring your fleet. In fact, in a recent survey 15% of Samsara dash cam customers said they were able to reduce their insurance premiums after installing dash cams, despite the fact that premiums are on the rise industry-wide. Before launching a new safety program, make sure to ask your insurance provider if they offer a discount, subsidy, or credit for installing dash cams. If not, consider sharing the data from your program to show proof of safety improvements during your next renewal. Even if your provider doesn’t offer any sort of discount, make sure to track your total auto claims. Depending on the size of your fleet, you may see an impact on auto claims within a few months to a year.
Improved Morale It may be surprising, but dash cams can actually help improve driver retention and decrease driver turnover. How? Although drivers are usually skeptical about dash cams at first, they become more engaged with their jobs once they see the benefits dash cams provide. Not only can dash cams exonerate innocent drivers from blame— which quickly instills trust and goodwill—but they can also enable a robust rewards program based on driver safety scores. Multiple studies have found that rewards are an extremely effective retention tool. With the competitive labor market, keeping tabs on driver retention is more important than ever. Wait until three to six months after you’ve introduced a safety-based rewards program to measure changes in driver turnover. If possible, also keep track of dollars saved in recruitment and replacement costs per TH driver, a huge cost driver. Source: “Capture ROI from Your Safety Program” at samsara.com. Samsara is a transportation solutions company specializing in digitizing all aspects of transportation operations. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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Harrison Upgrades Trucks With New 2022 Macks New weight laws mean he’s also adding scales. BYDavid Abbott FOREST, Miss. roducing up to 30 loads a day, Eddie Inc. operates two plantation pine logging crews that move wood to a variety of markets— and demand is expanding. “I think this is the only year where we haven’t been on quota,” owner Eddie Harrison said in late 2021. The company, which celebrated its 30th year in business at the end of 2020, was founded by Harrison and his brother Jimmy in 1991. The two parted ways amicably in 2012, and they still work closely together. Eddie buys timber for both his company and his brother’s, Ringgold Timber. Eddie Inc. has a fleet of 10 Mack trucks to move production. Harrison is currently replacing four ’16 models with five ’22s, and kept five ’20 models; the five new trucks were supposed to have arrived in December but were delayed until mid-February while awaiting front tires and wheels—supply chain backups strike again. He’s bought his trucks in groups of five at a time directly from Mack to get discounts of about $2,500 per truck. The plan going forward is to run each group about five years before rotating in a new set so they stay under warranty and about half of the trucks in his fleet are paid off at all times. Eddie Inc. has 20+ trailers, poles and double bunks, from Magnolia, FMI and Pitts. Harrison prefers Toyo brand tires but shops for the best deal. All 10 Eddie Inc. trucks have automatic transmissions. “We order all our trucks with camelback suspensions,” the logger says. “We don’t have any air ride trucks.” Why? The camelback is a progressive spring suspension designed for off-road applications; featuring inverted springs, Harrison asserts these rigs will come out of the woods where nothing else will. “They are about $2,000 more than the air ride and probably a little heavier, but so much less upkeep to worry about,” he says. “The main thing is they keep traction; they just keep
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Truck upgrades include new scale systems and dash cams
coming where air ride trucks spin out.” Harrison is in the process of adding Samsara AI dash camera/GPS systems to all his trucks, and with the five new additions to his fleet, he has Vulcan onboard scales on all of his trucks now. They ran scales in the ’90s but got away from it. Now is the time is right to go
Harrison
back to scales, he figures, because of new weight limit laws going into effect in Mississippi, raising the limit from 84,000 to 88,000 lbs. with a harvest permit, and a flat rate fine of $1,500 for anything over 92,000. Eddie figures it won’t take many of those to take the profit out of a truck. “To run new trucks and trailers, if you finance for three years and pay the driver well, there is no money in the truck,” the logger says. “It is necessary to move logs, but it is just a dead cost. We can make money logging, but the real money is made buying timber. If I didn’t have to I wouldn’t do anything but buy timber. But when you log it yourself you make more money off the timber.” Harrison personally oversees truck dispatch, based on the needs and logistics of each job from day to day and in constant communication by phone with drivers and loader operators. Trucks mostly stick with the same crews to keep it simple. “If I want them to go somewhere else I will tell them specifically, but if I don’t tell you different then you go back to where you came TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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from,” he says. “One job may need more trucks than another because one may be on a shorter or longer haul.” Eddie Inc. has no formal hands-free phone policies for truckers, but it is largely a moot point these days as most drivers use a headset or Bluetooth now anyway.
Crews Eddie Inc. only occasionally uses contract haulers to fill in if needed. Harrison says he hasn’t had much trouble finding and keeping drivers most of the time, but he lost several in just a few weeks last fall—one of whom had been with the logger for five years but decided to take an over-the-road job. He was able to replace all of them by early February. “We have got the trucking situation solved now,” he says. Truck drivers include Randy Rutledge (he has 16 consecutive years with Eddie but also worked for Lamar in the early ’90s), Atley Mahawthey, Greg Gardner, Chris Jeffcoat, Jeff Jones and James McNair. Although he’s been able to hire some new people lately, overall, Harrison has found it harder to find good, reliable woods help than good drivers. He does have a few who have been here a long time, but many others come and go. “They might be here two weeks or six months but many won’t stay long enough to get good at what they are doing,” he laments. “A lot of them are young and don’t like to work all day, so they jump to other things. If you don’t want to work hard this ain’t the place for you.” The biggest challenge in logging is labor, “hands down,” in Harrison’s experience, and has been for the last several years. If he had the labor he would be running three or four crews, he’s sure. When it comes to safety, one of Harrison’s biggest pet peeves is jumping down off of equipment. “If I said it one time I said it a thousand; all it takes is stepping in a hole or something. Very few people throw a fit about that as bad as I do because I know exactly what can happen.”
Operation runs 20-30 loads a day, and demand is increasing as new mills open up in the state.
new Weiler cutter, a B457 track machine with Weiler 22 in. center post 360° head. This is Weiler’s first manufactured saw head, Harrison believes. Though it may still need some minor modifications, Harrison reports that the Weiler people seem receptive to customer feedback and eager to get it right quickly. He adds that the attachments will now be under the same warranty coverage as the machine since it is a Weiler product; that wasn’t the case previously. The track cutters came in handy on terrain Eddie Inc. worked at the start of the year. “We moved onto some swamp land,” Harrison says. “There was enough difference in the money to cut it in the winter rather than the summer, so we are experimenting a little more with cutting on wet ground. If
things work out, at some point this winter or next, I will probably buy a bogie skidder too. Right now we just dual the skidders up and do pretty well like that so far.” He likes Primex tires on equipment. For now, Eddie Inc. uses a Weiler 450 skidder on one crew, backed up by a Deere 648, and a ’19 Tigercat 630E on the other crew, with a 748H Deere in reserve. In December 2017, Harrison bought the last two 559C model loaders that Cat dealer Puckett Machinery had. These two serve as primary loaders, with two others, ’15 model Prentice 2384Cs (which were the same thing as the Cats but painted different colors) as spares. B&G Equipment and Stribling Equipment, both in Philadelphia, are his main equipment dealers for Tigercat and John Deere, respectively,
Equipment Eddie Inc. operates multiple feller-bunchers: a new Weiler B570 wheel cutter, another Cat 553C, a 670 Hydro-Ax, a Prentice 2570, and a John Deere 753J track cutter that runs as needed. He also just added another
All Harrison’s rigs roll with automatic transmissions and camelback suspensions.
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Woods labor and experienced equipment operators are harder to find and retain than drivers, Harrison says.
while Puckett Machinery in Jackson and Meridian supply Cat/Weiler pieces.
Corn Pickin’ Harrison likes to keep a spare as a backup for every machine on each job—one newer backed up by one older—so they don’t have to lose much production when breakdowns occur. Harrison tracks fuel consumption overall but doesn’t break down by each machine. “I’m a keep up with it in my head kind of person,” he says. “ I know that he loads 20-25 loads on a tank of fuel and I know those skidders burn on a long drag in that mud over a tank and a half a day. This year the price of fuel has gone up on average about $2 a gallon more than it was last year, so I know it is going to cost me about $500,000 in straight diesel fuel.” The logger continues, “That is coming out of timber I already bought, so there is nothing that can be done about it. The bad thing about having a lot of timber bought up is that very thing,” he cautions. “I have enough timber bought right that we can’t cut it all in two years. Hardwood timber is up right now and that helps on some of it; pine really hasn’t changed.” Demand is picking up, he notes. “Biewer opened up in Newton running 250 loads a day, four days a week, and a new (sawmill) they’re building in Winona is within reach of where we cut a lot. North of here, Vicksburg Forest Products has increased production. This the first year I don’t think we have been on quota.” All the pine logs they cut go to Georgia Pacific in Taylorsville. Smaller logs and chip-n-saw go to Biewer Lumber in Newton. Pulpwood goes to usually either GP in Leaf River or International Paper at Redwood; they don’t have a close pine pulpwood market. “We have to haul pine pulpwood about 100 miles,” he says. Combined, his crews normally haul somewhere between 20-30 loads a day, including a load or two of pulp. Two D6K2 dozers, a D4K2 and a D6T high track dozer along with a track hoe, motor grader and dump truck help with roadwork and site prep/maintenance. “We used to log mainly in hardwood swamps, so we had to have the big dozer to build roads through them,” Harrison says. “About four years ago I decided I wanted to be a corn picker instead of a logger, so we converted to cutting pine plantations. It’s a totally different world.” He compares plantation clearing to row crop farming. “It’s a routine, you get into it, the ground is dry. It’s easier to TH work, easier on equipment.” A version of this article appeared in the January 2022 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times.
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OLC Delivers New Products, Technology A quick look at some of the products Timber Harvesting saw at this year’s Oregon Logging Conference. EUGENE, Ore. EDITOR’S NOTE: Three days of loggers’ issues, loggers’ meetings and more than anything— logging equipment—took turns in the spotlight at the 2022 Oregon Logging Conference, which returned full and in person after going virtual during the 2021 pandemic year. A major focus of this year’s event was finding and developing new workers through a blend of work incentives and new technology. Here are some of the products that Timber Harvesting noticed during the OLC.
Deere 1470 G harvester
Link Belt 3240 log loader
Caterpillar 538LL log loader with Cat GLL52 grapple
New Tigercat 180 swing yarder
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Skidmore processing head
Summit Attachments swing yarders
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New Kenworth T800 tractor
Axis Rebel X25 processing head Tigercat XL870 D cutter with 5702-26 felling saw
Astec-Peterson 5710 D
KomatsuPC290LL-11 log loader Doosan DX380LL with Harvestline tethering system
LogMax 10000XT FFE Falcon Claw logging grapple
Weiler B458 feller-buncher with Quadco head
Rotobec: Ducks vs. Beavers! Morbark 6400XT Wood Hog
Ponsse forwarder firefighting system
Eagle Carriage hydraulic grapple
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TransportTech
Vulcan On-Board: Offering Widest Line of Fifth Wheel On-Board Scales
V
ulcan On-Board Scales offers the broadest line of on-board scales to fit all types of logs and trailer configurations and recently introduced two new weighing solutions: Severe Duty Slider. Designed specifically for the Holland Severe-Duty Slider (SDS) system with an FW70 series top plate. This load cell is a direct replacement for the existing Holland slide brackets. It will fit on both the inboard and outboard style slide and provides real time weight information. JOST Fifth Wheel Load Cell. Designed to fit under JOST fifth wheel plates, replacing the standard risers. The load cells provide immediate weight information without adding substantially to the trailer height or the tractor weight. Increases profits for haulers. Designed for both OEM and retrofit installations, the system is
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easy to install and provides years of trouble free operation. These new systems complement Vulcan OnBoard Scales’ popular Traditional Holland, Heavy Duty Holland, Fontaine and Simplex fixed Fifth Wheel Scales along with our Holland Integrated Light-Weight Slider (ILS) load cells to offer a full line of tractor scale systems. Loggers can combine these with their Single-Point, Center Hanger or Air Trailer Scale systems to provide the most accurate and durable system on the market. Visit vulcanscales.com
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TransportTech
Western Trailers: Pioneering Innovators, Forest Fiber Hauling Trailer Specialists
W
estern Trailer’s line of trailers, known since 1980s for pioneering innovations to benefit those who haul wood and wood by-products for a living, deliver the optimum combination of durability, maximum volume and light weight. Weight savings come from the use of high strength aluminum wherever possible. Durability is achieved with high strength steel where it counts most. Western offers trailers in a variety of length, capacities and axle configurations to match the requirements of any wood by-product haul, including models with exterior posts for ease of unloading, and models with interior posts for maximum volume and aerodynamics. Also available is the latest evolution in Express Floor technology. Heavy duty extruded, full length aluminum slats result in less mainte-
nance and a more durable, longer-lasting floor and greater ease and convenience in loading and unloading. The floor itself is sealed either by pressure or seals to keep a variety of payloads safe and secure. The Express Floor is anchored to a unitized, high-tensile steel frame, creating a strong, lightweight foundation. Specifically engineered for the forest products industry, all Western Trailer log hauling trailers deliver larger payloads and make greater profits during a long working life, while retaining the highest resale value in the industry. At Western Trailer, superior design is the result of an ongoing review of product specifications, performance data, and input from our valued customers.
We are continuously expanding and are always striving to make technological improvements at our facilities to offer our customers the best products and services available in the industry, such as the latest evolution in Express Floor technology. Visit westerntrailer.com
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InnovationWay Despino’s: Tire Specialists
Loggers and their equipment routinely overcome challenges such as steep terrain, muddy soil and safety requirements, while working to meet production quotas. It’s crucial for tires to not only tackle these challenging conditions but thrive in them. Despino’s Tire Service makes any business operation easy when it comes to the installation and repair of tires. Whether it’s on the farm service for the installation of new tractor tires or roadside assistance to skidder tires deep in the woods, Despino technicians arrive with the replacement tires you need when you need them. Despino produces customized wheel solutions that complement nearly any type of forestry equipment—including skidders, feller-bunchers, harvesters,
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forwarders and log loaders. Despino is also a global manufacturer of both wheels and tires, which means they can offer a complete wheel assembly for your equipment designs. Their technicians are available 24/7 to save you time and make your business run more efficient. All tire tech’s are OSHA & MSHA certified and receive initial and ongoing safety training from Despino’s dedicated safety manager. Despino’s Tire is a certified contractor through ISNetworld and Avetta platforms. Visit despinotire.com.
Cardo Comm-Set Cardo Crew, a division of Cardo Systems, unveils Comm-Set, a noise protection communication solution that increases productivity and safety by enabling work crews to stay connected in noisy and hazardous environments. Powered by
Cardo’s mesh intercom technology, Dynamic Mesh Communications (DMC), Comm-Set can be white-labeled by PPE manufacturers and provide truly ground-breaking team communications technology. Comm-Set helps keep boots-on-theground teams protected and connected effortlessly while they work in hazardous environments or remote work sites like construction areas, tree services/ forestry, utilities/public work, and industrial manufacturing. In addition to connecting anywhere from 2 to 15 users via wireless mesh technology within a 2-mile range, the hands-free Comm-Set provides situational awareness and is equipped with a plug to easily connect 2-way radios. It complies with the American ANSI standard and the European EN352 hearing protection standards. The system guarantees the user’s protection against impulsive and loud environmental noises. Eight different channels enable a seamless co-existence of multiple intercom networks within the same terrain for unparalleled performance.
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InnovationWay Offering many options, users can connect their mobile phone via Bluetooth technology and use the dedicated mobile app, plus easily operate such features as built-in FM radio and music streaming. Visit cardocrew.com.
Stihl Magnum Saw
cloud connectivity to third-party cameras for the first time, Camera Connector allows organizations to leverage existing vehicle camera investments to reduce safety incidents, protect against not-at-fault claims, and enhance the driver experience. Camera Connector addresses these challenges by bringing side, rear, and interior camera feeds into a single
view within the Connected Operations Cloud. When combined with Samsara’s AI Dash Cams, customers gain 360° visibility of safety incidents in a single dashboard. This allows managers to access the right footage in minutes and exonerate drivers from false claims. Visit samsara.com/products/safety/ camera-connector.
Professionals can find the durability, dependability and performance they need in Stihl MS 881 R Magnum chain saws. With an updated engine design, these models have the same power as the previous model while using less fuel and reducing exhaust emissions, saving time and money while also being better for the environment. As one of the most powerful saws in the Stihl lineup, the MS 881 R Magnum is built for the most demanding tasks, including logging, thinning and land clearing. Built with professionals in mind, features of the MS 881 R Magnum saws including Stihl Quickstop, the chain brake safety feature designed to reduce risk of injury in certain kickback situations by stopping the rotation of the chain if activated by operator’s hand or by inertia if the saw kicks back with sufficient force. An anti-vibration system minimizes user fatigue and provides a more comfortable working experience by reducing the vibration levels of the chain saw, while the simplified design of the carburetor settings allows for easy manual adjustment. Visit stihlusa.com.
Samsara Camera System
Samsara, a pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud, announces Camera Connector, a new product that connects side, rear, and interior vehicle camera feeds to Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud. By bringing Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It
Inflation Threatens Industry SCOTT DANE With pandemic illnesses and hospitalizations falling, and restrictions being lifted, it appeared that the worst might just be behind us. The timber industry was deemed essential and worked through the COVID crisis pro-
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viding the resources to support the production of forest-based products. Most survived, both literally, and businesswise. However, after over two years of pandemic economic impacts to the U.S. economy, studies concluded that
over $1 billion in negative economic impact occurred within the timber industry, due to some mills closing and others taking downtime. Now hyDane per-inflation has reared its ugly head. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation was 7.5% compared to a year ago, the highest in 40 years. I do not know what type of “new math” or formula they are using, but it doesn’t take a convoluted calculation to feel the “real” inflationary impacts. Just fill up the tank of your logging truck, buy consumables or parts— they’ve all increased by at least 3-4 times the 7.5% rate being reported (this assumes the products are even available due to the breakdown in the supply chain). Additionally, labor costs are increasing as the logging industry competes to attract and retain workers. The Department of Energy (DOE) documents fuel prices. These are the average diesel prices reported by the DOE across the country: February 2020—$2.95; February 2021—$2.71; February 2022—$3.95 (with California reporting $4.94). “The cost of fuel has now risen to $4.30/gallon in northern Wisconsin,” according to a Wisconsin logger. “I have been in the trucking business for over 40 years. The availability of parts, tires, filters are at a level not seen in the past,” a Minnesota trucker says. “A set of four tires for a F-350 pickup cost $2,012 two weeks ago, $400 more than at this time last year,” adds an Idaho trucker. “A pallet of bar and chain oil last year was $1,300, today it is $2,000,” a Missouri logger laments. “Slasher saw blade was $1,888, now it’s $2,958. Tracks and chains for a six-wheel skidder were $20,300, now they are $27,300. Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) was 95 cents per gallon, now it is $2.64 per gallon,” according to a Maine logger. “The prices being paid to loggers and truckers are not keeping up with the increased cost of doing business,” emphasizes a Minnesota trucker. The numbers don’t add up. At this point, the timber industry would ➤ 30 TIMBER HARVESTING & FOREST OPERATIONS
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SelectCuts 26 ➤ embrace a 7.5% inflationary increase compared to what we are really paying! Unlike other industries that can pass on the additional costs to the consumers, the timber industry does not have that option in most cases. In an industry where half operate at a breakeven or loss and the largest percentage of profitable companies (24%) operate on a 1%-3% profit margin, absorbing these additional costs is not sustainable. The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine has conducted a survey comparing the cost of specific industry items between 2020 and 2022. That data will be available on their website. American Loggers Council is going to utilize that survey, with a couple of additions, and distribute it nationwide through our databases and state associations. It is imperative that the real inflationary numbers be documented and verifiable to provide credibility when demonstrating the impact to operational and production costs. When the survey is released, please take a moment to complete and submit it. Your participation will assist in developing quantifiable proof of the level and impact that inflation and supply chain in-
Scott Dane is the Executive Director of the American Loggers Council. ALC is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests of timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses across the United States. For more information visit www. amloggers.com.
Forestry Programs Are Taking Students Michigan State University (MSU) Dept. of Forestry, in partnership with the Institute of Agriculture Technology at MSU, and Muskegon Community College is accepting students into a brand new forestry program. The Urban Forest Management two-year program is designed to launch a rewarding career in urban forestry and tree care. The work is funded by a $749,000 Higher Education Challenge (HEC) grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Organizers of the program have engaged stakeholders in the forestry industry to assist with educational content and programming identified by in-
Rates Equipment Inflation
Keep An Eye On Your Inbox! (And check your spam folder)
Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/
Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
March 28-29—California Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Kimpton, The Sawyer Hotel, Sacramento, Calif. Call 916444-6592; visit calforests.org. March 29-30—Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-8341170; visit bioenergyshow.com. March 29-31—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-6953979; visit kfia.org. April 6-8—Intermountain Logging Conference, Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center, Spokane Valley, Wash. Call 208-245-3425; visit intermountainlogging.org. April 8-10—Forst Live, Exhibition Center, Offenburg, Germany. Visit forst-live.de. April 21-22—Michigan Assn. Of Timbermen annual meeting, Kewadin Casino, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Call 906293-3236; visit timbermen.org. MARCH/APRIL 2022
2022 Logging Business Survey
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dustry and employers. Through these new educational offerings, MSU is hoping to broaden its reach to students across the state who might have an interest in natural resources fields. MSU forestry professors, MSU Extension experts, forestry industry professionals and local foresters have developed the curriculum. “This program is an innovative access ramp to urban forestry training in a market where there’s a growing demand for skilled labor,” says Asia Dowtin, Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry at MSU.
terruptions are having on the U.S. timber industry.
This issue of TIMBER HARVESTING is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. American Loggers Council
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